REACTIONS AND TRANSPORT MODELING OF SURFACTANT AND ANTHRACENE IN THE SOIL FLUSHING PROCESS

Soil flushing using surfactants is a promising alternative to the pump -and-treat method of removing hydrophobic organic compounds. The inter actions and transport modeling of the surfactant and chemicals in soil were studied by batch and column experiments. Sodium dodecylsulfate ( SDS), an anionic surfactant, and anthracene, a hydrophobic organic, we re chosen as a representative surfactant and chemical for the soil flu shing process. The equilibrium model was observed to predict the SDS b reakthrough in soil columns. Mobilization of anthracene from soil matr ices by flushing medium containing SDS was noted to be a rate-limiting process. A non-equilibrium model was found to be suitable for the pre diction of anthracene breakthrough. The quasi-equilibrium isotherm bet ween anthracene in SDS solution and the soil appeared to be of the Lan gmuir type.